Translating memory: Czech and Latvian literary intersections

• 📅November 26, 2026 at 18.00
• 🎟️Free, with prior registration (the number of places is limited)

🗣️ The event will be held in Latvian

As part of the exhibition of Czech curator Diana Kotmel Kněžínková "Collective memory is all that I don't remember: shared moments", we invite you to a special accompanying program evening dedicated to Czech and Latvian literary ties and the phenomenon of collective memory in literature.

Continuing the tradition started in spring in Prague of introducing foreign audiences to Latvian literature, this time in Riga the focus will be on translations of Czech literature into Latvian. The event will serve as a bridge between visual art and literature, expanding the main theme of the exhibition – how individual and collective memory resonates in our cultural space.

In the course of the evening, Nadežda Kopolovec will give a short introduction to the topic of collective memory in Czech literature. This will be followed by a discussion, in which the director of "Pētergailis" Inguna Cepīte and the translators Jānis Krastiņš and Halina Lapiņš will share their experience in a conversation with Mārtiņa Mintauras about the entry of Czech authors' works into the cultural space of Latvia, the behind-the-scenes of translation and cultural exchange between the two nations. At the end of the event, visitors will have a unique opportunity to take a guided tour of the exhibition under the guidance of the curator herself.

The event was created in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Riga and the "Latvija-Czech Republic" association.

Participates in the event

Mārtiņš Mintaurs, Dr. hist., assistant professor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia, leading researcher of the National Library of Latvia.

Nadezhda Kopolovets, Dr. philol., assistant professor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia, deputy chairperson of the "Latvija-Czech Republic" Association

Inguna Cepīte, director of "Pētergailis" book publishing house

Jānis Krastiņš, translator

Halina Lapiņa, translator

Alberts Sarkanis, Dr. philol., Chairman of the Society "Latvija-Czech Republic".

Program

• 18.00–18.15 – Introduction: The topic of collective memory in Czech literature in Latvian translations.
• 18.15–19.00 – Discussion with book publisher Inguna Cepīti („Pētergailis”) and translators Jānis Kraština and Halina Lapiņa.

From 19.00 – Viewing of the exhibition under the guidance of an art mediator.

*By attending the event, you agree to take photos and videos and use them for publicity purposes. You have the right to object to the photographing or filming of yourself or your child by giving notice at the time of photography and filming.